Correlative Comparatives
To express proportional relationships like "the more... the more...", Farsi uses the phrase هر چه at the beginning of the sentence, followed by comparative adjectives or adverbs in both clauses.
You form comparative adjectives and adverbs by adding the suffix ـتر to the word. For example, روان (fluent) becomes روانتر (more fluently), and سریع (fast) becomes سریعتر (faster). Some words are irregular, like خوب (good/well) becoming بهتر (better).
To say "the more you do [action]", use بیشتر (more) with your verb:
| The more you repeat the words, the more fluently you speak. | هر چه کلمهها را بیشتر تکرار کنید، روانتر صحبت میکنید.har che kalame-hâ râ bishtar tekrâr konid, ravân-tar sohbat mikonid. |
Using Nouns with Comparatives
To say "the more [noun]s...", place the comparative adjective directly after the noun (which is usually pluralized). For instance, لغتهای بیشتری means "more words", and متنهای سختتری means "more difficult texts".
| The more words you memorize, the better you comprehend the language. | هر چه لغتهای بیشتری حفظ کنید، زبان را بهتر درک میکنید.har che loghat-hâye bishtari hefz konid, zabân râ behtar dark mikonid. |
| The more difficult texts we read, the faster we comprehend the grammar. | هر چه متنهای سختتری بخوانیم، گرامر را سریعتر درک میکنیم.har che matn-hâ-ye sakht-tari bekhânim, gerâmar râ sarî'-tar dark mikonim. |
Comparatives in Compound Verbs
When a compound verb contains an adjective, make it comparative by attaching ـتر to the adjective.
| proficient / fluent (having mastery) | مسلطmosallat |
Notice how the adjective takes the comparative suffix right before the verbal part:
| The more grammar we study, the more proficient we become in the English language. | هر چه بیشتر گرامر بخوانیم، به زبان انگلیسی مسلطتر میشویم.har che bishtar grâmar bekhânim, be zabân engelisi mosallat-tar mishavim. |
Comparing Two Nouns
For direct comparisons between two things, use comparative adjectives with the preposition از (than/from) to link the two items.
| This text is longer than that novel. | این متن از آن رمان طولانیتر است.in matn az ân roman tulâni-tar ast. |
| The novel that I have read is more interesting than your story. | رمانی که من خواندهام، از داستان تو جالبتر است.români ke man khândeh-am, az dâstân to jâleb-tar ast. |
